Mizmaze (or Miz-Maze or Miz Maze) is the name given to two of England's eight surviving historic turf mazes, and also to a third, presumably once similar site (at

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

in Dorset) that is now merely a relic. Of the two which survive, one is at

Breamore Breamore ( ) is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish near Fordingbridge in Hampshire, England. The parish includes a notable Elizabethan English country house, country house, Breamore House, built with an E-shaped ground plan. T ...

, in Hampshire; the other is on top of St Catherine's Hill, overlooking the city of

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, Hampshire. A mizmaze forms a pattern unlike conventional

maze A maze is a path or collection of paths, typically from an entrance to a goal. The word is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns that lea ...

s and is classed as a labyrinth because the path has no junctions or crossings. The pattern appears more like a very long rope, neatly arranged to fill the area.

Breamore Mizmaze

The ''Breamore'' Mizmaze, set on a hill close to Breamore House, is a quartered labyrinth similar in design to the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral. It is enclosed by a grove of

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trees; close to it is a Bronze Age barrow or burial mound. The Mizmaze itself is fenced which aids its conservation. In early 2010 a few surrounding trees were felled as water falling from overhanging branches was eroding part of the maze, but the overall character of the setting is unaffected; as it is difficult to date turf mazes, it is in any case possible that there was no woodland when it was created. The turf labyrinth itself is well-maintained. (Location just south of Salisbury, off A338).

St Catherine's Hill

The ''Winchester'' Mizmaze is most unusual, being roughly square, although its paths curve gently and it has rounded corners. It is also one of only two surviving historic English turf mazes where the path is a narrow groove in the turf (the other is at Saffron Walden, Essex). More commonly the turf itself forms the raised path, which is marked out by shallow channels excavated between its twists and turns; this is the case at ''Breamore'', where the mizmaze is circular (a version of the medieval labyrinth design) and surrounded by trees. (The ''Winchester'' mizmaze is visible in

Google Earth Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...

atop St. Catherine's hill. Google Maps co-ord
51.045662, -1.311743
(+51° 2' 44.38", -1° 18' 42.27".)The official website is https://www.google.com/earth/index.html, where one can begin by downloading the free Google Earth application program. See

article.

Mount Ephraim Mizmaze

A large modern Mizmaze has been created by garden designer Sarah Morgan at Mount Ephraim, a garden near Faversham, Kent, England. Although based on a traditional labyrinth design, the layout incorporates some dead-ends, making it a hybrid between a maze and a labyrinth. The pattern of the grass paths is marked out with combinations of tall-growing ornamental grasses and colourful herbaceous perennial plants.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Mizmaze, St. Catherine's Hill
W.H.Matthews, ''Mazes and Labyrinths'' (1922)
online version of this classic book
Labyrinthos
Jeff Saward's website
Labyrinth SocietyThe Megalithic PortalLabyrinth Locator (Veriditas & Labyrinth Society)Mount Ephraim Gardens
Mazes Mazes in the United Kingdom Buildings and structures in Hampshire Geoglyphs

Breamore Mizmaze

St Catherine's Hill

Mount Ephraim Mizmaze

See also

References

Further reading

External links